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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25946638">Roles To Play</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DovahGeneral/pseuds/DovahGeneral'>DovahGeneral</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>American Dragon: Jake Long</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, One Shot, Sibling Bonding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:35:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25946638</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DovahGeneral/pseuds/DovahGeneral</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The American Dragon and his baby sister have many roles to play: defenders of the Magical Community, students at their respective schools, and the big brother and little sister of the household, respectively. It’s an awful lot to ask of two kids, but with each other they’ll manage… Probably…</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jake Long &amp; Haley Long</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Roles To Play</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Date Conceived: 15 August 2020<br/>Date Written: 15 August 2020—16 August 2020<br/>Word Count: 3,102</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Let it be said that Jacob “Jake” Luke Long was many things, and late was one of them.</p><p>The Am Drag flew into the scene at fast as he could, knowing full well that Trixie and Spud were not going to catch up within the hour. Fu had called him up while the three were doing whatever they felt at Trixie’s house, and he had effectively given them a night off while he dealt with whatever crisis was occurring.</p><p>His friends had of course ignored his gift and instead sped down the blocks toward the park, where Jake suspected they were to miss whatever fight was going to happen, though the sight in front of him gave him a feeling even less was going to go down.</p><p>“Oh, Jake!” Sun called out with a smile. The former Korean Dragon and current home economics teacher was not in her traditional dragon form, sitting in plain view with a handful of hobgoblins sitting around her, all of whom had a cup of something steaming.</p><p>“Uh, should I even ask?” Jake began, though his focus was not centered toward his teacher but instead his baby sister who was pouring a display of jasmine, matcha, and mint into the cups of the magical creatures. She said not a word upon his arrival, though her smirk was all he needed to know what she was feeling.</p><p>He shook his head. For the first time in his life did he see a band of hobgoblins set out for evildoing to be done in by the power of Asian cuisine; if Gramps were around he’d be nodding in delight, and probably chastising him for failing to live up expectations.</p><p>Soon, both Trixie and Spud had managed to arrive, and were just as unprepared for the sight as Jake. It became clear, however, that both were far more willing to accept this peace, and were quickly sitting about as Haley continued to work around the mess via this <em>diplomatic</em> solution.</p><p>“You know, I never really got this tea stuff,” admitted Spud, who had tasted all three blends but didn’t seem too interested. “I mean, I heard some people hail this stuff as like sacred and junk, but when you really think about it its only hot leaf juice when you take it apart.”</p><p>“Oh man, do not let G hear you or you’ll find yourself in a ditch, Spud,” warned Jake, though he could hardly consider himself a lover of the drinks. Still, he decided to give it a go and though enjoyed his time in a sense, watching his sister prance about and not having to do battle with the hobgoblins was a bit of a sour sight, though Sun seemed to be beaming.</p><p>“Man, Jakey, you got to admit Haley’s got it down tonight. I mean, no offense and all, but when’s the last time we ever tried to solve things diplomatic and the like? I mean, its all fire breathing this and fire breathing that really.”</p><p>Let it also be said that silently Jake agreed with Trixie’s deduction, though he kept his mouth shut and prepared himself for the eventual comparisons.</p>
<hr/><p>Let it be said that Haley Kay Long’s first thought upon awakening was how she could strangle her smiling brother.</p><p>With a hearty laugh Jake walked around her, trying to keep his balance as her glares only made the situation worse. Soon Fu came in and called out in surprise, though neither sibling could determine which of them was the cause of his shock.</p><p>“Haley!” called out Sun, who soon embraced her pupil into her arms and was responded in kind, though the frown upon the younger Long’s face never faded. Lao Shi had entered the room as well, but was blocked from entry after Jake nearly collapsed in front of him.</p><p>“I am glad to see you are alright,” smiled her grandfather. “When we heard you were knocked out during your outing, we were just glad that Jake managed to bring you home, although…”</p><p>The old man glared at his giggling grandson. “For shame! Your sister was in mortal peril and your response is to laugh at her misery, Jake! This is more than unbecoming of the American Dragon, this is unbecoming as her elder brother!”</p><p>Sun and Fu nodded in agreement, though Fu seemed a bit apprehensive for some reason. He eyed Jake and called out to him as the latter began to calm, though his smirk refused to disappear and Haley could do nothing to curb his current attitude.</p><p>“Look, G!” started Jake. “I know that this messed up and all, but seriously, you have no idea as to how sad this all is! I mean, Hales, come on now. I’ve seen you fight far worse things in the past, and I know you took on these two fools on back in the day. And look, there was that one time with the mirror of the leprechauns and all that, and this kingpin of NYC has had some hiccups, but even then…</p><p>“Those two whack bozos! Oh man when Spud and Trixie hear about this! God, Rose will want to hear this!”</p><p>“What!” Haley’s eyes widened and she grabbed his jacket. “No, no, no, no, no! No! You can’t tell anyone!”</p><p>“Those two?” questioned Sun, but looking at Lao Shi revealed no answers as the two siblings began to bicker. Suddenly, Fu Dog began to bark out into his infamous giggle fits, and the Shar-Pei lit up like it was Christmas.</p><p>“Wait, no!” Fu spat out after attracting Haley’s wrath as well. “No, not those two Huntsclan rejects! Oh Haley, I know you’re pretty young and all, but this is just a little sad. I mean, kid, you were not wrong about this one! Sure, those two have proven to be a headache, but to knock you out Haley! I sorry, but… Ah-Ga-Goo!</p><p>“Reminds me of that time Jake nearly got jumped during that froggy incident.”</p><p>Haley smiled. “Wait, what froggy thing?”</p><p>“Fu, I have told you to never bring that up. How was I supposed to know 88 and 89 had the entire Huntsman arsenal with them; they never even used some of that stuff on me. Besides, I won! No, you know what, this ain’t about that! This is about her!”</p><p>“No, no! I think we all want to hear this story!”</p><p>Let it also be said Fu Dog got himself double the biscuits that very day.</p>
<hr/><p>Let it be said that Jacob “Jake” Luke Long was not necessarily unaware of his sister’s social life situation, it was more that he was uninformed.</p><p>Upon riding up to the front entrance of her private school he spotted Haley sitting on the steps, unaware of his presence. She seemed exhausted and her notes were sprawled out in a messy fashion outside her backpack, a far cry from the mature and organized sister she was.</p><p>And the less said about the fact she still had more than an hour left of classes, the better.</p><p>“Uh, Hales,” he called out, watching her wince from surprise as her elder brother rolled toward the steps. She quickly packed up her notes and stepped upon his new, longer skateboard that could fit her behind him, and the duo rode down the block toward their home.</p><p>The two were silent the entire ride, and Jake was just glad that no police were monitoring the area lest they ask why was it that an elementary school girl was out of school during lunch. Though, it seemed as if they were the only two living beings in the city, with no joggers, dogs, or any signs of life being present during the trip.</p><p>Since the fall of the Huntsclan life may not have become less busy per say, but it had become rather quiet in comparison to those early days as the American Dragon. Magical creatures were a universal issue, but he didn’t have to worry about outing Rose as a traitor and waking up to see what was left of her at the school’s gates.</p><p>With comparatively less dangerous assignments taking up his life, Haley had become more active in his life as a form of support, occasionally coming in with Sun but the siblings were enough to chase away most anything that came their way. She lacked experience, but he couldn’t deny her skill was beyond his during his power’s first appearance.</p><p>Though, admittedly, her lack of talk about friends outside of the ever-growing collection of dolls suffocating her room may have been a sign of things.</p><p>Upon entering their home she simply limped toward the couch and collapsed upon impact, and she gave not a noise before closing her eyes. Jake dragged his and her stuff up to their rooms before heading down to the kitchen, where he found no leftovers or anything prepared by their parents left for them to eat.</p><p>“I’ll order some pizza or something, that good?” he asked, but was met with no response. Initially deciding to order whatever was cheap, he instead looked at whatever amount of cash he still had left in his pocket and splurged it on whatever he could remember her enjoying.</p><p>Let it also be said that if Jake knew one thing about being a kid, it was that sometimes it was better to shut up and give some space—if she wanted to say why she decided of all days to break her perfect record of attendance, then that's her decision.</p>
<hr/><p>Let it be said that when Haley Kay Long looked upon the band of friends her brother had made over the years, did she realize she couldn’t even count up to one on her own fingers.</p><p>Spud was many things, namely <em>eccentric</em>, but he was also one of Jake’s closest and oldest friends since the start of his middle school life. Though he rarely did a thing with his mind, let it be said that upon taking a closer inspection at the potato obsessed boy’s schoolwork that Haley for the first time in months felt herself stumped by the curriculum.</p><p>The trio was not a rational bunch nor the most moral group of being, but of the three Trixie was without a doubt the sanest of them all. Though not without her own failings or schemes, whenever she put her foot down the two boys generally followed suit, and Haley had never seen a kid who had their eye on a career path as Trixie did to medicine.</p><p>Then there were the outliers: a pair of twin oracles, a rather creepy spider lady, a night-shy girl, a Brit apprentice mage, the Australian Dragon, and the weirdest and most ill-matched quartet of magical beings she had ever seen coalesced.</p><p>It was frankly terrifying to see how many were willing to make frequent visits to the shop just to say hi at times, whether it be once in a full moon or perhaps a handful of times every month.</p><p>Her mother had once asked who she spent the most time with at school, and all Haley could say was that she was unsure. But when she asked who she spoke to the most did the prodigious daughter go silent—how was she supposed to admit that she had spent more time bickering with Olivia Mears than she spent with the entire student body.</p><p>Occasionally Jake joined in on the conversation, though rarely did he pay attention long enough to truly get any of the details into his head, and for that she was grateful. She could lie to her parents about how much time was spent with friends, but her heart knew that Jake was close enough in age to determine what they couldn’t.</p><p>And it wasn’t too bad—she had her family who doted upon her, Sun who seemed to treat her more like a daughter than the pupil she was, and of course Jake who on occasion was willing to be serious with her, albeit not nearly enough. It was a good life and she rarely fought with anyone other than Olivia, and even then she could hardly consider it worse than Jake’s life without a schedule.</p><p>But sometimes she spots him surrounded by the entire middle school body praising him for his carefree style, and she realizes he has her beat in far too many categories to comfortable with.</p><p>Such thoughts are of course discarded in the morning; sulking about your brother’s social life was hardly an excuse for allowing Jake to steal the bathroom from her, and her troubles be forgotten if she were to lose the morning race.</p><p>Let it also be said the first time Haley truly had a talk with Rose was also when she realized she still had some advantages in life—Jake was still burning half his allowance on her to not snitch about spotting the two in his bedroom.</p>
<hr/><p>Let it be said that the Long siblings were many things when together, and possessing proper communication skills was not one of them.</p><p>“How was I supposed to know your flight was in five minutes! You’re the one who kept talking about how you had plenty of time to spare and that we’d be fine! We should’ve bounced half an hour ago!”</p><p>“What are you talking about! You dragged me away from my seat! I said I had spare time, not an entire epoch to burn on some twenty-dollar airport quality burger that wasn’t even cooked to the center!”</p><p>“You are killing me here, Haley!”</p><p>A handful of soon-to-be passengers dodged the incoming duo as they rushed toward her terminal, Jake being the one to actually carry the luggage knowing full well his tiny little sister would struggle to even make it halfway in ten. And if their parents were to learn that he had delayed her trip…</p><p>Eventually they found themselves at the site of her departure, and found not a line in sight. Both looked around confused before looking at the clock and realizing they were an hour early, and that none of the Longs beside themselves were even present.</p><p>Jake groaned. “The restaurant’s clock was off, because of course it was. Seriously, we busted our butts off trying to not have you miss out on Paris, and this is what we get. What a drag, man.”</p><p>“Why is it that whenever you’re involved in something it always ends up a nightmare,” Haley panted before taking a seat. Taking a quick gander at the building she saw next to no one in the area, with even security being lax. The food in her stomach had not responded well to the run, and she groaned in discomfort.</p><p>“Hey, now,” Jake shock his head. “I spent fifty on that lunch and if you hurl it up now, know you owe me when I see you in like five months or something. You know Gramps don’t have anything in that register of his to even pay me for this gig, not that he could.”</p><p>“I paid back my debts by bothering to show up at night,” she argued back, though Haley was still too exhausted to mount a true counteroffensive. Her time spent dancing and fighting at night had made her body strong, but let it be said American consumerism and the standards of airports were more than enough to take her down a peg.</p><p>“Well, I guess I’ll miss having you around then. It’ll be quieter at the house, though.”</p><p>She stayed silent at his statement and the realization that she was to leave the country came rushing back. Though she refused to budge she could feel the anxiety eating away at her, and the feeling she possessed during her brief stint as the substitute American Dragon was too similar for comfort.</p><p>Jake saw her breathe in and smacked her on the arm. “Hey, it’ll be good. I taught you everything to know about actual dancing on the streets, and you have that ballet stuff down, don’t you? Come on, we both know if there was anyone who would survive on their own it would be you. Besides, Gramps called in the French Dragon to keep an eye on you anyhow.”</p><p>“Hey, you’re the one who managed to survive being both the American Dragon and have a social life. I didn’t even have the latter and broke in two days. I don’t know, I know I can do this and all, but I never even left the country without mom or dad with me. You do it all the time though.”</p><p>“With G and Fu, but I get it. Which is why I got Rose to make me something just before she had to leave back for Hong Kong. Just a little thing.”</p><p>He reached into his pocket and placed a small charm into her palm, and she recognized it to be one of the dream charms he had on him. It was different in appearance, but it was clear the enchantment was the exact same one he used to contact his overseas girlfriend on the daily.</p><p>“If you ever feel like you going to get jumped, or you just want to talk to your awesome and far superior brother then just wear it when you sleep, and you’re good. Hell, call up mom, dad, G, Sun, or even that Olivia girl—”</p><p>“Not the latter, no thank you.” Still, Haley smiled and held it close to her, making sure not to scratch it or do any harm until she had a firmer understanding as to how to craft it personally. “Jake, I—”</p><p>“No thanks, I’m the Am Drag, remember? And that means the entire Magical Community is under my watch, whether I be in the US of A or you in Paris doing whatever it is that the French do. And, well, we’re family. And family don’t bail out on each other unless it be another weekend with the relatives of course.”</p><p>She giggled at the thought before gazing at the accessory once more.</p><p>Let it also be said that no matter how many times they’ll try to kill each other, Jacob “Jake” Luke Long and Haley Kay Long held many a roles: defender of the Magical Community, prodigious student making their way to Europe, and the first dragons of the current millennia from New York.</p><p>“Rose is too good for you.”</p><p>“Well, yeah. She’s too good for anyone, but I charmed her with all of my various strengths and handsome demeanor.”</p><p>“Pity for the poor children that will be then.”</p><p>And siblings of course, but that’s just a given.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just wanted to write something for this show after re-watching it. Always am a sucker for cute sibling dynamics, so it’s just fun all things considered to write this. Hopefully neither are out of character, and hopefully I can actually write dialogue for characters with slang because I am staler than water when it comes to understanding any of it during my entire life. Hope you all keep safe and have fun.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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